Highway in the Northwest Territories and Alberta For the US highway known as the McKenzie Highway, see Oregon Route 126. For the highway in British Columbia, see British Columbia Highway 39. Mackenzie HighwayAlberta Highway 35Northwest Territories Highway 1Mackenzie Highway highlighted in red.Route informationLength1,160 km (720 mi)Major junctionsSouth end Highway 2A in Grimshaw, ABMajor intersections Highway 2 near Grimshaw, AB Highway 986 near Grimshaw, AB Highway 697 near Paddle Prairie, AB Highway 58 at High Level, AB Highway 2 at Enterprise, NT Highway 3 near Fort Providence, NT Highway 7 near Fort Simpson, NT North endWrigley, NT LocationCountryCanadaProvincesAlberta, Northwest Territories Highway system Alberta Numbered Highway Network List Former Northwest Territories highways ← Highway 33AB Hwy 35→ Highway 36← Highway 10NT Hwy 1→ Highway 2 The Mackenzie Highway is a Canadian highway in northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. It begins as Alberta Highway 2 at Mile Zero in Grimshaw, Alberta. After the first 4.0 km (2.5 mi), it becomes Alberta Highway 35 for the balance of its length through Alberta and then becomes Northwest Territories Highway 1.
[edit] The Mackenzie Highway is designated as part of Canada's National Highway System, holding core route status from its terminus at Grimshaw to its intersection with the Yellowknife Highway, and northern/remote route status for the remainder of the route to its northern terminus at Wrigley. Originally begun in 1938, prior to World War II, the project was abandoned at the outbreak of war. It resumed in the late 1940s and completed to Hay River, Northwest Territories, in 1948/1949, but some sections, particularly in the vicinity of Steen River, remained difficult. In 1960, it was extended from Enterprise, approximately 39 km (24 mi) south of Hay River, to the northwest, then north past Fort Providence to Behchokǫ̀ (at the time, known as Rae-Edzo) and southeast to the City of Yellowknife, which became the capital of the Northwest Territories in 1967. Much of the extension is now known as Northwest Territories Highway 3, or the Yellowknife Highway. The 39 km (24 mi) stretch from Enterprise to Hay River is Northwest Territories Highway 2. Around 1970, the highway was extended west from what is now the southern terminus of Highway 3 to reach Fort Simpson, and in 1971, when the section to Fort Simpson was opened to traffic, work began to prepare a road grade from there to Wrigley, but the work was abandoned. The roadway, which starts at a junction 3.5 km (2.2 mi) from the island that includes "downtown" Fort Simpson, was finally opened in 1994 and includes the N'dulee ferry and ice crossings. On November 8, 2013, the portion of the highway from the Alberta/Northwest Territories border to Enterprise was designated the Highway of Heroes. There are social and economic studies being done on the extension of the highway north from Wrigley to join the Dempster Highway; the territorial government has completed 34 bridges across all but six of the widest river crossings that serve the ice road and await the all-weather route. In June 2018, an announcement of $140 million funding would result in a bridge over Great Bear River and extend the Mackenzie Highway's all-weather road north by 15 km to Mount Gaudet. Just east of Fort Simpson's airport, the highway crosses the Liard River by ferry (summer) and ice bridge (winter). 45 km (28 mi) further east of the crossing, the location known as Checkpoint is the site of a former gas station at the junction with the Liard Highway (Northwest Territories Highway 7, British Columbia Highway 77) from Fort Nelson, British Columbia.
[edit] Province / TerritoryMunicipality / RegionLocationkmmiDestinationsNotes AlbertaM.D. of Peace No. 135Grimshaw00.0 Highway 2A east (55 Avenue) – Peace River Highway 2 south – Fairview, Grande PrairieMile Zero Mackenzie Highway. ​42.5 Highway 2 east – Peace River, EdmontonHwy 2 branches east;Mackenzie Hwy follows Hwy 35;south end of National Highway System Core Route. Northern Lights​138.1 Highway 737 west (Warrensville Road) 2012 Highway 986 east – Little Buffalo, Red Earth Creek Dixonville3924 Highway 689 west ​6239 Highway 690 east – Deadwood Manning8251 Highway 691 east ​12075 Highway 692 east – Notikewin Provincial Park 179111 Highway 695 east – CarcajouSouth end of Hwy 695 concurrency. 186116 Highway 695 west – Keg RiverNorth end of Hwy 695 concurrency. 219136 Highway 697 east – Tompkins Landing Ferry, La Crete, Fort Vermilion MackenzieHigh Level278173 Highway 58 west – Rainbow Lake, AssumptionSouth end of Hwy 58 concurrency 279173 Highway 58 east – Fort Vermilion, La Crete, John D'or PrairieNorth end of Hwy 58 concurrency ​363226Crosses Hay River 364226Zama Road – Zama City Alberta–Northwest Territories border46902910.0Northern terminus of Highway 35; southern terminus of Highway 1 Northwest TerritoriesSouth SlaveEnterprise8352 Highway 2 north (Hay River Highway) – Hay River, Fort SmithHwy 1 turns west. ​167104Kakisa Access Road – Kakisa 168104Crosses Kakisa River 186116 Highway 3 north (Yellowknife Highway) – Fort Providence, YellowknifeNorth end of National Highway System Core Route;south end of Northern & Remote Route. Dehcho​324201Crosses Trout River 376234Jean Marie River Access Road – Jean Marie River Checkpoint412256 Highway 7 south (Liard Highway) – Fort Liard, Fort NelsonHwy 1 turns north. ​457284 MV Lafferty Ferry (mid/late May to late October)Ice bridge (late November to mid April)Crossing over the Liard River Fort Simpson472293Fort Simpson Access RoadHwy 1 branches northwest. ​489304Crosses Martin River N’Dulee Crossing548341 MV Johnny Berens Ferry (late May to late October)Ice bridge (mid December to mid April)Crossing over the Mackenzie River ​627390Crosses Willowlake River Wrigley690430winter road – Norman Wells, Fort Good Hope, Colville LakeNorthern terminus of Mackenzie Highway 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi      Concurrency terminus      Route transition
[edit] Rapids on Trout River, from Mackenzie Highway61°8′42″N 119°50′46″W / 61.14500°N 119.84611°W / 61.14500; -119.84611 The Mackenzie Highway61°8′35″N 119°10′28″W / 61.14306°N 119.17444°W / 61.14306; -119.17444 In McNallie Creek Territorial Park60°46′37.9″N 116°34′25″W / 60.777194°N 116.57361°W / 60.777194; -116.57361 Northwest Territories Highway of Heroes sign